When Seinfeld made it mainstream in the '90s, babka, the half-yeasted-bread, half-cake hybrid from Eastern Europe, became so big among consumers. Much has changed since the first babka survey of New York five years ago, and there are more ambitious contenders for the Best Babka crown than ever before.
Not that New Yorkers' love of babka is anything new, and it's easy to see why. Babka's rich, buttery, brioche-like crumb, woven with ribbons of chocolate, is unfussy and approachable. You can eat it as dessert or breakfast, as a brunch side or a quick snack. The only trouble is not finishing a loaf as soon as you start it because one good bite of babka demands another. But one thing is for sure, was suggesting: Eat some babka. It's one of the best sweets you'll find in New York.
According to the Telegraph, babka's current renaissance (which, sorry cinnamon fans, seems to be restricted to the chocolate version) can be attributed to two factors. The first is the continued proliferation of high-quality bakeries across New York, many of which are including babka in their offerings alongside croissants.
According to New York Serious Eats, The second is one particular babka that emerged in 2013: Breads Bakery's enormously popular, tradition-busting version made with a laminated dough and chocolate-hazelnut spread. How big is our bread babka appetite?
Gadi Peleg, the owner of Breads, said that when they first opened just over two years ago, they sold about a dozen loaves a day. Now, around the holidays, they sell "in the thousands."
With a new crop of highly trained bakers yearning to experiment, and a demonstrated market for the stuff, New York's babka universe has expanded in wonderful ways. Most of the bakeries in this guide didn't even exist when last examined babka five years ago, and while you can still get any number of excellent traditional babkas, there are some newfangled versions worth seeking out as well.
Regardless of the babka, you go for, there are some rules. First and foremost, the babka must taste fresh. With so much babka at our fingertips, there's no reason to settle for a stale loaf with a crumb that tastes like a cheap dinner roll. Second, there has to be some balance between the chocolate (or another filling) and the bread layers. Too much bread and you might as well be eating challah or brioche. Similarly, I love chocolate as much as anyone, but if the babka's so full of chocolate that it tastes like a giant brownie, that's not good.
Traditional babka is made with an enriched, yeasted dough braided with chocolate (or cinnamon) filling.
As New York's biggest babka wholesaler, Green's is the babka you probably already know, even if you don't know it's Green's. But if you've ever tried the babka from Zabar's, Fairway, Russ and Daughters, or Whole Foods, then you've tasted it. Their recipe is a crowd-pleasing balance of airy bread and lots of chocolate goo, which has the nice errant crunch of sugar crystals here and there. Since they're already highly regarded for their doughnuts, it makes sense that Dough would offer this fresh take on babka using their buttery yeasted doughnut dough.
Their Mexican chocolate-flavored "Doughka" features dark chocolate and aromatic cinnamon sugar carefully marbled throughout braids of brioche-like dough. Though the pastry is made with doughnut dough, it's baked, not fried, and it's actually one of the lighter (if not lightest) options on this list. Throw a slice in the toaster to get a hot crispy treat and a house that smells like cinnamon and chocolate.